GWENPOOL STRIKES BACK #4, out this Wednesday from Marvel Comics, continues Gwen’s slightly crazed gambit for saving her series, and thus her skin. It’s a masterful example of chaos and fourth-wall-breaking, with Gwen going above and beyond to win the battle.
***SPOILER WARNING***
Fans of the massive personality known as Gwenpool have been enjoying this miniseries, while also seeing it for the hope that it is. We can’t help but hope that this series will garner enough attention to get her another full series.
The entire premise behind Gwenpool Strikes Back has been shockingly clever. Leah Williams has run away with the idea of Gwen’s fourth-wall-breaking abilities. And she’s used them to start a conversation about comic sales and how their effects are always harsher on any character who isn’t an A-lister (no offense, Gwen).
The fourth issue in the series brings us a Gwen at full force. She’s determined to get some attention, and as we saw in the last issue – she’s not afraid to pick a fight to do it. But now she’s forced to find a way out of said fight. Thankfully, Gwen is nothing if not resourceful.
Gwenpool Strikes Back #4 may be a series of chaotic events, but there are some treats snuck into the pages. These moments are specifically designed for fans of the character. After all, it’s the fans who will freak out at the fact that Christopher Hastings wrote an entire page of this issue. And yes, before you worry – his page is just as inane and delightful as you might be hoping.
While Hastings wrote that one page, Williams took charge of the rest. And as anybody following the series is aware, Gwen is up for one massive fight – all thanks to the big guy that she ticked off. The fight is something unexpected, in a way. Gwen uses her panel hopping abilities to good effect, giving fans a solid reminder of all the reasons we fell in love with her in the first place.
But naturally, that means that things get a little crazy along the way. This is Gwenpool we’re talking about, after all. The end result is a lot of dramatic bouncing around, some light humor, and a few truly laugh out loud moments. In short, it’s exactly what the fans have been hoping for.
Gwenpool Strikes Back #4 had a lot of fun art crammed into these pages, but that’s probably no surprise at this point. The artist team has taken the script that Williams wrote and just run away with it all.
That being said, there were some seriously noteworthy elements here. For example, the multiple Gwen’s all look exactly like the comics they were ripped from, and that is something easier said than done. It helped make them all distinct, and added to the hilarity at the same time.
Gwen’s abilities were also shown off to perfect effect here, with some dynamic panel diving interspersed around sillier moments. And the final highlight of this issue would probably be the sense of movement and impact. There are a few scenes which will make you wince in sympathy, but it kind of fits what Gwen has been up to lately.
And of course, we’ve got to give credit to the artists behind all of this. David Baldeon provided the pencils and inks, while Jesus Aburtov did the coloring. And lastly, there’s VC’s Joe Caramagna, who provided the lettering (and thus all of the sound effects and complicated speech bubbles).
Gwenpool Strikes Back #4 was a fast-paced and chaotic issue, full of Gwen at her best – both in the humor department and regards to her abilities. This is the Gwen that fans have fallen in love with, and it’s great to see her back.
